Thriller planning - What makes a good thriller? - Case study: 'Once Upon a time in America'

Thriller Planning – What makes a good thriller? - Case study: ‘Once Upon a time in America’

Director: Sergio Leone

 The date the film is set – 1930’s America – Mob and Gangster period

 The opening part of the film is set just before the event of the ban of prohibition (which the Gangster group took over.)

 

How the director introduces the genre: –

 

Sound – sound bridge: - The sound adapts the next scene, for example from the film; - His phone rings and this then moves to the next scene with the continuum of the phone ringing, symbolising a flashback/dream of what the phone ring made him see.

 

Diegetic and Non – Diegetic sound

 

• Diegetic sound – The sound the actors hear.

•  Non – diegetic sound – Sound that has been added during the edit.

 

Lighting – A lot of dark areas in scenes, Chiaroscuro lighting – dark areas with selective interest of lighting.

 

Camera techniques: -

 ·        Close ups and extreme close ups

·         Zooms
·         Panning shots
·         Use of threes
·         Tracking shots
·         Low angle shots
·         Worms eye tilt shot
·         High angle shots
·         Tilt shots

 How the director establishes the genre of the film: -

 

·         Lighting – Mostly Ambient and Noir lighting – Black and white lighting.  He also uses Chiaroscuro lighting to give an unrealistic or dreamy atmosphere.

·         Locations – Apartment blocks, bars, lifts and alleyways.  He uses this to create an atmosphere of “being trapped” or the claustrophobic feeling.

·         Character types – Gangster type character – Big, bold, strong and scary.  He has a ‘Femme Fatale’ who seems innocent but is actually dangerous.  The name of the Femme Fatale is Eve – symbolically meaning of ‘evil’ or ‘devious’.

·         Costumes – Gangster and the police outfits are very similar as they both wear the classic 1930’s American suits, top hats and waistcoats.  This would represent corruption in the two sides as gangsters would sometimes work with the police in the jobs.

·         Props – Hats, guns, other equipment such as a punch bag.

·         Objects – Guns – used to bring action and tension

·         Suspense – Mostly created through sudden, tense or unexpected moments happening when least expected.  Also slow, silent parts of the film; - for example in the film where they are in the bar, Noodles presses the button to call the lift, as the lift is coming down, it attracts the police officers attention (who is working with the gangsters), he then moves to the door to cover him for anyone who comes out of the lift.  The lift then stops, causing him to relax, but is then shot in the head by Noodles who appears behind him. 

·         Action – The main action used in the film is the idea of Murder.

·         He also uses music – the song played – ‘God Bless America’ is supposed to represent America as a peaceful and social country, but in the film it is as an ironic feature as in the film it is very much the opposite as  there are drugs and violence/murder.

·         He also uses hidden/small features on the characters, for example – At the start, Eve enters her apartment and it is basically pitch black as there are no lights on, she then walks into the light, which automatically shows up the pearls that she is wearing, which represent bad luck, making the audience feel cautious that something is bad that is going to happen.

The stereotypical gangster costume established in the film -